CSA receives final land aquisition installment

February 05, 2004|By LESTER MCNUTT, Daily American Correspondent

The final installment of the $1.5 million Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant was recently received and turned over to the Cambria Somerset Authority (CSA) by the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy (SAC).

The $150,000 represents the last 10 percent of what is still the largest land acquisition grant ever awarded in the state.

The grant was a key funding component of the public acquisition of the Manufacturers Water Company properties that included the Quemahoning Reservoir and Border Dam in Somerset County and Wilmore Reservoir, Hinckston Run Reservoir and South Fork Dam in Cambria County.

"The DCNR grant also assures perpetual conservation management and mandates and guarantees public access and use of the properties," said former Somerset County commissioner Dave Mankamyer.

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The acquisition was completed in August 2000 after a lengthy process which began in 1997 when the Stonycreek-Conemaugh River Improvement Project (SCRIP) volunteer board of directors was informed by Brad Clemenson of U. S. Congressman John Murtha's office that Bethlehem Steel had made a final decision to sell off its water reservoirs.

"I remember the moment well. After Brad made the announcement regarding the impending sale there were a few seconds of silence. Then Joe Gorden asked are we going to do something about it or not?" said Scrip chairman Len Lichvar. "Dave Mankamyer spoke up and said that we would first need a feasibility study to determine if a public acquisition was possible." Lichvar, of Boswell, is also the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy executive director.

Fortunately for SCRIP and the region the Somerset Conservation District had sponsored, an area-wide measure plan to the Southern Alleghenies Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D) in the early 90's that requested assistance if and when an opportunity for such an acquisition would arrive.

"This was an ambitious undertaking but we knew that this was the type of effort that the RC&D process could help us accomplish," said Dave Steele, former Conservation District Manager and SCRIP board member.

Having the plan already in place at the RC&D level allowed then RC&D Coordinator and SCRIP board member Ron Donlan to make the commitment for the RC&D and Southern Alleghenies Conservancy to seek funds and a process to initiate a feasibility study.

The Conservancy, Conservation District and Murtha's office had just a year before they invited then DCNR secretary John Oliver to the Quemahoning Reservoir for a site visit. This foresighted effort paved the way for the request of $50,000 to DCNR to fund the study a request that was quickly approved.

A six-month feasibility study began with the firm of Paul C. Rizzo and Associates contracted to gather and analyze required information. A committee made up of public stakeholders tracked and provided input during the process. At the conclusion of the study the committee was informed by Rizzo's that a public acquisition was economically possible and recommended that it should be attempted.

That was only the beginning of the process that still had many hurdles to overcome.

It was still not known if Bethlehem Steel would consider an offer from an unknown consortium of public interests. The committee determined that a high profile public event was required to announce the findings. Once again SAC was called upon to put its facilitating and promotional skills to work to generate a meeting that would be informative and generate the enthusiasm that would get the attention of both the public and elected officials.

"The pressure to put on a well attended and enthusiasm building meeting was severe. We would only have one chance at this," Lichvar said. "I went fly fishing on Bens Creek the night before the meeting to relax and escape the stress. I had a good evening of fishing and figured if my luck held just one more day things would work out."

The meeting was held at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. After Rizzo's made their presentation, speaker after speaker from the crowd of more than 200 came to the microphone extolling the virtues of pursing the acquisition.

"Coupled with the media exposure we received we knew the die was cast to proceed and many of us celebrated later that evening over a few cold ones," Lichvar said.

With questions answered and the mandate crafted, commissioners in Cambria and Somerset counties forged an unprecedented spirit of partnership.

The six commissioners knew that Bethlehem only was willing to sell the properties in one package so that a two-county effort was the only method that would be successful. It was at this time that SAC applied for the $1.5 million grant in order to cover what was anticipated to be a funding shortfall the commissioners were collectively working to secure. With the effort being driven by commissioners, and after many long meetings and phone calls as well as support from Murtha and others, a deal was struck.